Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-09-17
ALASKA F1suERxEa
Report Of tho Treasury Agent I'm Charge d
+! tho Seal Fisheries-A Valuable Acquiai.

Report Of tho Treasury Agent I'm Charge d
tho Seal Fisheries-A Valuable Acquisi.
tion.
WAsHMaroN, d. c., September 9.-Ths
annual report Of Geo. R. Tngley, treasury
agent in charge of the Alaskan seal islands,
has been received at the treasury depart
ment The agent says that the time has
come when the lessees of the island should
be authorized to employ additional natives
and teach them the business of sealing, as
death has played sad havoc with the native
sealers of the islands. The mortality of the
natives of st. Paul's is said to have been
large, while it is remarkable fact that not
q single death from disease has occurred
among the white inhabitants since the trans
fer of Alaska to the United States.
From measurements made by Assistant
Agent Noyes it appears that the grand total
Of breeding seals on ST. Paul and st. George
islands last spring was ,357, 75O, but in trans
hitting m Ia; this statement, Mr. Tingle adds that
to the truth. It is certain
that the vast number of animals is not on
the increase. Mr.. Tingle says: 'The de-
partment cannot place too high an es-
innate on the value of seal property,
and the government, am sure, will
not yield to any demand which
would make it possible to accom-
plish the destruction of seal rookeries
and seal life, which, under judicious man.
agement and protected by law, may be per.
petuated indefinitely" A large part of the
report is devoted to a history of the seizure
of the marauding vessels by revenue cutters,
which has already been reported by tele-
graph. The agent says that after the
departure of the revenue cutters last
fall, a large number of seals were taken by
British maurauders and the skins sold in
Victoria. One vessel sent her boats to the
rookeries, but they were fred upon by the
natives under orders of the assistant
adjutant. and two men were wounded.
This fact became known generally
among the marauders, and served to keep
them safe distance from the rookeries. Up
to the LIST of August four schooners had been
seen operating around St. Paul island this
season. One of these vessels, the "Angel
Dolly" of San Francisco, was seized by
the agent, who boarded her with
company's steamer est. Paul" The vessel
was in distress, as the captain had been acct
dentally shot and one man wounded while
leaving Otter island, where they had been
killing seals. This made the the seventh
capture this season, the revenue cutter Rush"
having previously taken six, which were sent
to Sitka for trial. They were the American
schooner Challenge" with 151 skins; the
British schooner Gamma Beck" 1876 SKINS
"W. P. Sawyer" 479 skins; "Dolphin," 6Cd
skins; "Grace," 100 skins, and the Ameri.
can schooner "Lottie L." 1877 skins.
Mr.. Tingle says that Captain Shippard, of
the "Rush," has been interchangeable in his
efforts to protect seal life and would, no
doubt, add at least six more to the list of his
captives before he leaves the waters.
The agent suggests the ACCESSIBILITY
of providing a small steam yacht,
armed with a rifed cannon, as
the schooners were killing seal in plain
view of st. Paul Island while the Crush"
was protecting St. George Island. It is said
that 10000 skins would be low estimate of
maurauders, and the agent says that the
of these figures will be under
stood when the fact is borne in mind that
only one in ten seals killed is secured.
In a supplemental report dated San
Francisco, August 10, the agent says
that on the 18th of August the American
schooner "Anna," with $50 skins, was
brought into port, having been seized by the
Rush" She reported the seizure of the
British schooners "Mary Ellen" 395 skins,
and "Alfred Adams" 400 skins, and the cutter
'sAlbert, 400 skins, making total of $500
skins seiz ed during the season. The num-
Der of seals killed during the year by the
lessee was 1O4, 829, aud the number of skins
accepted as good was 100000.